Return to Neverland
by mverhoef
Summary: AU. Killian Jones came to Storybrooke at aims of destroying Rumplestiltskin's happiness, but when he's charmed by Mr. Gold's adopted daughter, his plan for revenge takes an unexpected turn... Anna Darling longs for adventure outside of Mr. Gold's pawn shop. But her wish for discovery gets her more than she ever bargained for... HookDarling. Anna Darling daughter of John Darling.
1. Prelude

Hook peered through his spyglass at _Mr. Gold Pawnbroker & Antiquities Dealer_. He watched as Rumplestiltskin seemed to be smiling and talking with a young woman Hook had never seen before. She was a pretty little thing, with caramel hair and striking turquoise eyes.

Lowering the small telescope, he turned to Smee and asked, "Who is that girl working for Rumplestiltskin?"

Smee nervously explained, "Well… her name is Anna Darling, I think. She's been working for him for a long time, ever since she ran away from her uncle."

Hook started for a moment, "Her last name is Darling? Peculiar last name…" He felt as if her name sounded vaguely familiar.

Smee nodded and continued, "Her uncle, it seemed, abused her often, so she found refuge in his shop a few years ago. She's been there ever since."

Hook's eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he prodded, "She ran away? To the guardianship of Rumplestiltskin? Why not someplace else?"

His informant fiddled with his fingers anxiously, "Well I'm not sure, but the talk of the town is, he's taken her in as his own. Rumor has it he's quite attached to the girl."

The pirate's mouth turned up in a wicked sneer as he said, "Is he indeed…"

"Yes!" Smee replied excitedly, "I've also discovered she's of upmost importance to him and to the town… she seems to be gifted at fixing and mending almost anything that's broken in his shop—"

"Fine, fine, Smee." Hook said dismissively waving his hand. "That's quite enough information for now. Get the crew ready to prepare to dock."

"Aye aye Cap'n." Smee answered obediently with a salute and was gone in a moment.

Captain Hook smirked as he murmured huskily, "Anna Darling… I've heard that name before. Well we shall see what use you can be to me, my dear."

And with that, the spyglass clicked close.


	2. Chapter 1

"You sure you don't mind dearie?"

Anna giggled and insisted, "Yes! You and Belle deserve a normal night. Have fun, I'll take care of everything."

Mr. Gold half grinned at her and leaned in to kiss her on her forehead. "You are a blessed child. I promise I won't be out late, and be sure to lock up in an hour."

She nodded and gave a half wave at her employer before he smiled at her, shutting the door behind him.

A bell jangled as the door opened to Mr. Gold's shop. Anna, engrossed in her newest novel, was jarred out of her fantasy and quickly closed the book. "I'll be with you in a moment." She hurriedly said as she placed _Peter Pan _near the cash register and smoothed her long, vintage dress down.

"There's no hurry darling…" a deep British baritone voice chiseled the air causing goosebumps to crawl all over her pale skin. Anna stopped what she was doing suddenly and looked up to see a man with dark tousled hair, piercing blue eyes and a shiny hook for a left hand. He was dressed as if he just left the _Black Pearl_. But that wasn't the reason she was staring at him. His other working hand rested on a hilt of a long sword.

Anna broke away from her staring, and once again met his eyes. A smirk was etched on his face as if it had always been there. She swallowed thickly, feeling as if she should be afraid of this stranger, but instead she felt strangely drawn to him.

"Can I help you find something?" She asked, proud of keeping her voice steady. He quirked an eyebrow as his smirk transformed into a full-fledged grin as he approached her behind the counter.

"Well I should certainly hope so, love." He huskily answered as his eyes trailed up and down Anna's form. She cocked an eyebrow, knowing what he'd see. A tall smallish figure, with not much curvature to it, light brown hair, blue-green eyes. She was certain there was nothing remarkable about her looks but she couldn't help getting annoyed.

Folding her arms and narrowing her eyes she said, "If you're looking for the butcher shop, I'm afraid you've come to the wrong place…"

Chuckling, the stranger continued his unabashed appraisal of her and replied, "Beautiful and clever… how is it that your Mr. Gold procures such females, do you think?"

Anna continued eyeing him, trying to figure out what he was after before realizing what he had come for. Blinking a few times she answered smoothly, "Mr. Gold isn't here at the moment…" then realizing her mistake she righted quickly and followed with, "but he should be here at any moment. You're more than welcome to wait here for him until he returns."

The pirate smirked once again and made his way closer to the counter, rounding the corner until he was a yard or two in front of her.

"Oh I'm not here for him, lass…" His eyes, while carrying an impish tint to them, suddenly took on a dangerous, almost malevolent undertone at his words. Anna could feel the color drain from her cheeks. He hadn't asked if Mr. Gold was there to see him, he had asked if Mr. Gold was there so that no one would see what he would do to _her._

Anna swallowed again as she maintained her composure. He continued slowly approaching her, like a feral lion creeping on a wounded antelope. She commanded herself not to appear cowardly, though she was tempted to inch away from him. His gaze never wavering as he said pointing his hook at her, "You're Anna, are you not?"

Anna nodded and said, "I am. And you are?"

"Oh, how rude of me. Allow me to properly introduce myself." With a gallant bow, he declared without breaking eye contact, "I am Killian Jones, however you are more than welcome to call me by my more popular nomenclature… "

"Hook." Anna finished before he could continue. His eyebrows lifted in surprise and a wicked smile appeared on his face. "Correct…so my reputation precedes me I see."

For an unknown reason, Anna wasn't afraid. Though she knew, without a doubt, that this man would cause her harm. She wasn't frightened of him.

He continued his approach until he was a few inches from her. The smell of gun powder and sea air filled her nostrils; a scent that was intoxicating to her. Captain Hook was a few inches taller than she was, and she noticed that his lips came to her forehead as she watched him speak. His eyes still held a sharp glint as he continued to search her eyes for any spark of fear.

"I won't insult your intelligence with idle chatter—" his hand came up to her cheek and pulled several strands of hair out of her face. It housed two silver jeweled rings on his fingers, and a tattoo on his forearm that she didn't have a chance to read. "so I'll just get on with it…"

He grabbed a small, metallic glock from behind his back and wedged it between Anna's ribs, pushing her back against the wall behind the register. Anna felt the hollow barrel and didn't even look down to see it. She knew doing so would convince him of her own fear. Instead she held his gaze, and examined his entire face as if he were someone she hadn't seen for a long time.

Captain Hook hovered in front of her; Anna noticed that his expression began to dissolve slowly as she remained steady and composed in front of him.

"From what I'm told, you mean a great deal to Rumplestiltskin. One could say you're almost like a daughter to him."

Anna licked her dry lips and shrugged. "I'm not sure if I'd go as far in saying that… he's the only guardian I've had in a long time. I'd hope he thinks of me in that way, but it's hard to tell."

Hook chuckled and grazed his hook against her cheek. Anna shivered against the feel of cold steel on her skin. "You're too modest, darling. I know for a fact that he cares greatly for you. Almost as much as he does Belle."

"Why come here for me then?" Anna asked curious.

Hook stared at her for a moment before answering, "You were more…easily accessible, I suppose."

He tsked as he memorized her face and murmured, "So lovely… such a waste."

He jabbed the gun barrel further into her skin, until a small issue of pain tore from her lips. And still she never broke eye contact. Hook's gaze became inquisitive.

"You're not afraid of me are you?"

Anna didn't respond.

"And you aren't going to barter for your life?"

Anna thought for a moment before she replied, "It won't do me any good will it? You knew before you came in here whether or not you were going to kill me. You decided that before you even saw me. I won't spend the last few moments on this earth sacrificing my pride."

Something changed in his countenance as she spoke. The hard glint in his eyes softened considerably and the pressure of the gun in her side lessened substantially as she went on.

"Besides, you're a pirate. You follow a code that you place on yourself. Nothing I do or say will change your mind once it's been made up. If I'm going to die, I'd like to die courageous."

His expression was now completely crippled, and Anna honestly didn't know what he was thinking at the moment. Suddenly, the gun was no longer jabbed in her side, and was now stowed in the back of his trousers.

Anna almost breathed out a sigh of relief at the feeling.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Don't sound so disappointed, love. I could still change it back you know." He half smirked but Anna knew he wouldn't. The hard glint in his eyes was replaced with something completely different now.

"I don't understand…"

"It's quite simple really; I'll require something else from you entirely." He leaned in closer to Anna, inhaling her scent, running his nose along the side of her jaw.

Anna began trembling against him as his hand trailed down her side to her waist pulling her to him tightly. She swallowed nervously as her quaking grew worse and worse the longer he held her. He chuckled against her skin and lifted his face to hers once more.

"Remarkable. I hold a pistol to your ribs and not even a change in heartbeat—"he said as his hand moved from her waist and touched her chest where her heart flailed wildly. "and yet, I touch you and you tremble like a leaf in the wind… fascinating…" he murmured as his eyes went back and forth between her lips and her eyes.

"Hook, I wasn't going to beg for my life… not with you. Please don't make me beg for my dignity. If you're going to let me live, I ask that you leave me my dignity. I can suffer you taking one or the other, but not both…"

Anna's teeth chattered together as her tremblings continued. She closed her eyes against the oncoming tears, willing herself not to cry in front of him.

When she opened them once more, a severe look appeared on his face as he said, "Madam, I may be a pirate… but I am not a monster."

She was silent for a moment, trying to process what he just said.

He leaned away from her slightly and continued, "I am only willing to… steal a woman's virtue when she is willing to allow me steal it. That is one thing I'll never take without permission."

His eyes almost pleaded with her to believe him. Anna felt her body's shaking lessened as she calmed down.

"You are far more intriguing than I thought you'd be, Anna… possibly the only woman I've met that doesn't fear death. It's almost as if you welcomed it."

A look flashed across Anna's eyes that Hook must have caught. He asked amazedly, "You wanted me take your life, didn't you?"

For the first time, Anna couldn't look at him anymore. Her gaze turned from his as she focused on a magnifying glass on the counter. His hand pulled her face back to his as he asked again, "Why? Why so eager to end your life?"

She swallowed and left his grasp. Trying to regain her self-control, she turned to him again and asked, "Is that so shocking? My entire life I've lived in a cage. In a place where I've been trapped with absolutely no hope of anything better. After several years…any option starts to sound appealing…" Her eyes grew teary and her voice cracked. She stopped mid-sentence trying to gather herself once more before continuing, "I'd never be cowardly enough to take my own life. I couldn't justify it. My life isn't miserable enough. But I wouldn't fight it, if ever it chose me…"

Hook seemed to be hanging on every last word.

"All I wanted, all I ever wanted was an adventure. Was a chance to see everything there is to see and learn everything there is to learn. I wanted a fairytale." She half smiled as she finished, "instead I got thrown into a tragedy. And a badly written one at that."

She stood a few feet from Hook watching him internalize everything she had just told him. Suddenly she felt foolish. Why had she just divulged everything that had been weighing on her heart for the past several months? A complete stranger? Captain _Hook?_

Her embarrassment was put on hold when he said, "That was quite possibly the most honest thing anyone has ever said to me."

"What?" Anna asked confused.

Hook grinned as he walked towards her until he was only a few inches from her face. He looked down at her, giving her a smoldering look and said, "After experiencing as much betrayal as I have the past few weeks, you have no idea how refreshing true honesty is."

Anna was still stunned as he spoke. This did not sound like the Captain Hook she'd read about in her book.

"I'll tell you what love; I'll make you a deal." He traced his fingers down her face to her cheek. His calloused thumbs sent ripples of shudders through Anna's bloodstream.

"A life for a life. I wanted either you or Belle or _ideally_ Rumplestiltskin dead. But now, I can see you are much more valuable alive than not. If you come with me, I'll spare both their lives."

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "I…are you asking me to…?" she couldn't finish the sentence.

"Leave Storybrooke. Forever."

Anna was slack-jawed. She shook her head and asked, "But Mr. Gold? Belle? My friends—"

"They'll all live." He finished for her. "But—"his face hardened slightly as he moved closer to her menacingly. "If you double cross me or if you leave. I'll be sure that they die slowly and painfully. And I'll make sure you're there to witness the entire charade."

Anna was amazed at how quickly his face took on darkness and light. Almost as if there were two different men inside him in a constant battle to take control. He closed in on her and backed her up against the opposing wall waiting for her answer.

"Alright."

"Now, to be clear. This is forever, lass. You'll never see them—_any _of them—ever again."

Anna could almost hear her heart shatter in her chest at the words. Although she had mixed feelings about Storybrooke, and although she loathed being trapped in the same place, she loved Gold and Belle and Emma and nearly everyone there. To leave forever without any of her friends, people who may as well had been her family, would be the worst form of torture anyone could have imposed upon her.

She looked up at Hook, tears in her eyes and whispered. "You have a deal."

A wolfish grin appeared on his face as he eyed her up and down once more. "We leave tomorrow at day break. Meet me at the docks with everything in order. Do _not_ be late."

Anna nodded slowly.

Hook grabbed her waist and pulled her close to him whispering in her ear seductively, "It's been far too long since a beautiful woman was on my ship. I'll confess, this'll be more enjoyable for me than it will be for you…"


	3. Chapter 2

Anna was luxuriating in probably the last bath she'd ever have in her room. As she ran the washcloth up her shoulders, small tears gathered in her eyes. Shaking her head, she grabbed a towel and proceeded to dry herself off.

As she dressed, a knock rapped at the door. Furrowing her eyebrows, she covered herself in a bathrobe and opened the door cautiously to see who was there.

"Hook?" She asked, surprised at seeing the pirate rogue. He was clutching his shoulder in her doorway, a red welt forming at his left eye.

Despite his injured state he still managed to give her his infamous smirk and replied, "Won't you invite me in darling?"

Anna folded her arms and said suspiciously, "You're not a vampire are you?"

He let out a laugh that turned into a cough and a groan as she helped him through the doorway and sat him down on the bed. "You need something for that shiner…" she said as she quickly turned around and shuffled through several drawers in the bathroom. Moments later she appeared with a wet washcloth and began dabbing it gently against his temple.

As she tended his wound, she noticed the hungry, wolfish expression once more in his eyes. He looked down at what she was wearing and chuckled softly saying, "I do believe you look wonderful in black my dear… especially black _lace_." Anna looked down and was horrified seeing her robe slightly open revealing her skin and part of her black bra. Tying the robe against her even tighter she turned around and situated herself, ensuring it wouldn't come undone again. She berated herself for letting that happen. She might as well have been throwing herself at the blasted pirate.

Bright pink splotches appeared on her check as she turned towards her dresser trying to regain her composure. She cleared her throat and asked, "So, what exactly happened, Hook?"

As she faced him, she could still see the spark of lingering arrogance and desire that made her ever so nervous. Her anxiety increased tenfold as his hand came up cupping her face and thumbing her bottom lip.

"I'm afraid I got myself into a bit of a tussle, but I assure you it was well worth it." His voice dropped an octave lower, and Anna shivered pulling away from him and turned to the dresser drawers once more.

She heard him snigger as he limped off the bed, and felt his hot breath at the back of her neck. Anna closed her eyes and prayed she could ward off his advances long enough for her to regain her composure.

She swallowed as she felt his hand brush her hair away from her neck as his fingers traced the side of her throat down the front of her collarbone.

"Am I making you nervous, Darling?" he murmured under her ear.

Anna didn't know what came over her—her breathing was erratic, her heart beat was at a gallop, yet she couldn't move. She wondered if maybe he _was _a vampire, playing some sort of paralyzing mind trick on her. She silently cursed her hormones for flaring up at a time like this.

"Such a lovely thing…" he whispered wistfully. Anna was suddenly awoken from whatever spell the pirate cast on her as his hands tugged at her bathrobe. Gasping, and tightening her grip on her gown she whirled around and muttered hurriedly, "It's late, I'd better get you sorted out so I can get some shut eye…"

The pirate smirked at her and sat on her bed once more. Anna stood in front of him and continued nursing the gash on his forehead. Hook still gazed at her with a hungry expression in his eyes.

"Will you please not look at me like that; I am trying to make sure your eye won't swell up tomorrow."

"I know love, and I'm very appreciative of that." His smirk made her less apt to help the wounded pirate, but she couldn't help but feel for him in the sorry condition he was no in.

As she dabbed and wiped at the blood on his face she tried to make sure they did not fall into any lingering silences again and asked smarmily, "Who was it exactly that won the fight?"

His grin faded slightly as he looked at her un-amused.

Anna smiled prettily, knowing it would annoy him, as he replied acidly, "It was your beloved father figure."

"Mr. Gold?" Anna's smile diminished as her hand stopped wiping the blood from his neck.

"Yes indeed."

She moved back slightly, her eyebrows furrowed. "What did you do?"

Hook shifted on the bed uncomfortably, not wanting to respond.

"Hook…what did you do?" Anna's voice hardened, surprising the captain.

"I gave him what he deserved."

Anna didn't say or do anything, waiting for him to elaborate.

"I…wounded Belle, made her lose her memory of who she was."

She gasped in horror and raised her voice accusingly, "You promised they wouldn't get hurt if I came with you!"

"I told you I wouldn't kill them, lass. I said nothing about harming them, now did I?"

Anna grounded her teeth in fury and whirled around throwing the bloodied washcloth in the laundry basket.

She reeled on her heels at Hook, slapping him across the face and yelled, "How dare you! I promise to go with you, even though it meant leaving the people I cared about, even though it would destroy Gold and yet that's _still _not good enough for you! What makes you think I'll still go with you tomorrow morning?"

Hook's expression was void of emotion as he stood up, a few inches away from her face and said dangerously, "Because you gave me your word. Because I could still do much more damage to your precious Gold and your dear Belle."

Anna's eye filled with tears—an infuriating reaction whenever she was frustrated or angry. She swallowed, willing herself not to cry in front of the dammed pirate, no matter how much she wanted to.

Hook watched her eyes grow misty, and even though it was only for a moment, she could have sworn she saw an unfamiliar flicker of something pass through his eyes. But Anna shrugged it off. A pirate could never feel anything at seeing a woman's tears. If anything, it signified helplessness, especially from a woman. But Anna did notice he was no longer standing as rigid as he was, and his hand made a motion to touch her face, but stopped mid-way.

She set her jaw and turned around, grasping angrily at the edges of her dresser drawers. She wanted nothing more than to punch that ridiculous smug look clean off the pirate's face.

"Leave, Hook. I'll see you in the morning."

She refused to look at him, but if she had, she would have seen a penitent softness in his eyes that she hadn't seen before. Anna waited until the door closed behind him before she gave in to the sobs that she was holding in.


	4. Chapter 3

"Where are you off to so early, dear?" Granny's voice somehow managed to break through the torrent of thoughts that whirled around Anna's head.

"Wha?—oh… umm just a… a camping trip." Her voice cracked at the last syllable, as she adjusted the strap of her backpack and resituated her roller suitcase. Anna berated herself as she saw the lie fall flat.

Granny's furrowed expression led Anna to believe that she didn't believe her story. Hurriedly she muttered, "I'll be back soon, Granny. Could you leave this note for Mr. Gold?"

"Of course!" she took the envelope with Mr. Gold's name, as Anna turned from the counter to the door she paused.

Turning back she said, "Be sure that he gets it Granny…"

The old woman reassured her, though she was still bemused at Anna's behavior.

Anna abruptly shut the door behind her as she hauled her belongings down the cement sidewalk. The sun's blood-red light was just spilling over the tops of the trees as the street lamps were still glowing dimly up and down the narrow road.

She gazed up and down the alleys, breathing in the little owned shops that were still closed up. Everything looked so dreary bathed in the pale blue light of pre-dawn, only adding to Anna's sadness.

Gulping she came to Mr. Gold's shop. Touching the window and peering inside at all of the trinkets and collectibles she had looked after and repaired over the years made her heart ache in places she didn't know existed. She feared she would stay broken forever, like the knickknacks that would inevitably break over time with her not there.

It seemed as if Anna walked forever, lost in her musings as she reached the dock. The smell of the sea carried on the breeze for a moment relieved her of all of her worries. It was a small moment, but she couldn't help but feel as if there was something else waiting for her entirely beyond Storybrooke. She almost forgot what she was leaving behind as the _Jolly Roger _came into view.

Hook's crew was already moving on deck, carrying barrels of supplies and adjusting the sails.

Anna took a deep breath and whispered to herself, "Brace yourself, Anna. It'll be a bumpy ride from here on out…"

She stepped toward the large ship when a revoltingly familiar voice sounded from above her, "I suppose punctuality isn't your strong suit, is it love?"

Looking up, Anna saw the pirate rogue, his boot braced against the side of the boat, a smug look on his face.

Anna rolled her eyes and said shortly, "I'm not a morning person. You're lucky I don't punch you in the face before 10 A.M."

The pirate chuckled and, grabbing a rope, swung down to where she was. The action reminded Anna vaguely of a scene from _Tarzan_.

Hook regarded her for a moment, looking from her two small bags back to her again and remarked amazedly, "That's all you packed?"

Anna looked at her bags and back up at him and shrugged, "Yeah… why?"

A devious smile appeared on Hook's face as he loomed over her and said, "Did you forget to pack your clothes?"

Anna rolled her eyes again and pushed him back, "I didn't have time to fit my entire wardrobe into two things, Hook. I brought what was necessary."

He nodded and replied, "Whatever you say, love." Though his eyes still held an impish glint to them as he walked up the wooden plank and yelled commands at the crew.

"Anna!"

Her voice leapt to her throat as she whirled around to see Mr. Gold, Emma, Henry and half of Storybrooke behind him racing toward her.

"Mr. Gold!" she rushed to his arms and hugged her guardian with all her might.

"Wh—what are you doing here?" Anna was confused how he could have possibly known she was here.

Mr. Gold held her at arm's length and replied, "Granny opened your note and told me right away… Anna, what are you—"

"I have to Mr. Gold… I—I don't have a choice."

"What does he have over your head? What is he holding over you?" Emma cut in, looking back and forth between Anna and the _Jolly Roger_.

Anna swallowed and looked at her mentor once more. His eyes were desperate as he said, "Anna—Belle left… I couldn't bear for you to leave—" his voice cracked at the last word, as if it pained him to speak of it.

"Well, well, well. Looks like the Crocodile's getting emotional over his little girl. Touching, really. I think I actually teared up a bit just now." Hook sauntered down the stave, his gaze holding no amount of remorse.

"What are you doing with _him?!_" Gold's voice was venomous.

Before Anna could answer, Hook cut in, "Oh haven't you heard? Your adopted daughter wants an adventure… with me…"

"What?"

"I—it's not what you think—" Anna desperately tried to explain.

"We have an accord, Rumplestiltskin. Her life in exchange for yours. I think it's more than a fair trade, don't you agree?" He said quirking his eyebrows as he approached.

"You—Anna, what did you do?" Mr. Gold's stare was horrified as he looked at her.

"He—he came to the shop last night, while you were with Belle… I made a deal that if I go with him, he wouldn't hurt you or Belle—" Anna's voice broke at the last syllable, feeling that if she intervened earlier, she might've spared what happened to Belle.

"But ye—you can't…"

Smee suddenly interrupted and asked, "Ready to shove off, Cap'n?"

Hook grinned, "Ahh, splendid. Mr. Smee, would you take our guest's luggage up to my quarters." He said with a wolfish sneer. He took her arm in his hand, pulling her close as he announced pompously so that the crew would hear, "you'll be rooming with me, my dear." Pointing his gaze at Anna he finished, "After all, it _is _the best lodgings on board, and I know I'll get terribly lonely at night…" his slated eyes held hers, and he was pleased to see her blush bright pink.

Mr. Gold lunged for Hook's neck.

"No!" Anna cried trying to peel the two off of each other with no luck. The two men were frantically hurling punches violently.

"Hey! Hey!" Emma finally stepped in and separated them. "Enough!" she said.

"Hook, you can't do this." Emma commanded.

"Well it seems I _can, _love. What's done is done. A deal has been struck, and we all know how binding a contract is… don't we Rumplestiltskin?"

Mr. Gold looked positively feral at Hook. Emma looked to Henry, David and Mary Margaret as if silently pleading for help, but no one had any idea what to do or say at the moment.

"Come along." Hook said to Anna before turning his back and walking onto the ship.

Anna looked towards him and back at Mr. Gold before saying, "Can I have a minute to say goodbye?" Her eyes were beginning to grow misty.

Hook deliberated for a moment looking back and forth between Anna and Gold before nodding silently.

Anna turned to Mr. Gold with tears in her eyes before he enveloped her into an embrace. His hand came up to the back of her head as he smoothed down her hair in a fatherly gesture.

"There's gotta be something we can do." Mary Margaret murmured.

"Hook can't get away with this…" David agreed.

"Well, right now there's nothing we _can _do. I'm not one to agree with Gold but…this may be coercion but I don't know how this can be settled with someone like Hook." Emma responded.

Mr. Gold pulled away from Anna and wiping the tears from her eyes, slipped a ring into her hand. Anna looked at him confused before he explained, "It's enchanted… it's sort of a location device. As long as it's on your finger, I can track you."

Anna replied, "But Hook said that if you tried to come after me—"

Gold cut in, "Nothing's going to happen to me… and I'll make sure nothing happens to Belle either. I _will _get you back, Anna. Mark my words. Hook's already stolen several things from me in the past. He won't steal you too."

Anna hugged him one more time before he whispered, "Now go. I love you."

"I love you Rumplestiltskin. You've been more of a father to me than my own flesh and blood. I'll never forget you."

She finally let go and looked at her beloved friends one last time, memorizing their faces trying to imprint them in her mind forever. Though she did not doubt what Mr. Gold was capable of, she wasn't sure if she'd see the rest of them again.

Anna made her way on board the _Jolly Roger_, and as the ship sailed further and further away from shore, it seemed as if an anchor was being dropped in her heart. She may have wanted adventure, a chance to explore, but not at the price of the ones she loved.

Hook's arms came on either side of Anna as she watched. Whispering huskily into her neck he asked, "Ready for an adventure, darling?"


End file.
